Best Served Ice Cold
by Katsuko1978
Summary: He never really had a choice, but he'd be damned before he let them get away with it. Semi-AU, Starscream/?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro**  
****Warnings:** character angst  
**Summary:** He never really had a choice, but he'd be damned before he let them get away with it.

* * *

**Best Served Ice-Cold**

_He knew that his mate would never really understand, but that was okay. Maybe when this was all over, when they both returned to the Well of All-Sparks, he would be able to explain __**why**__ things had turned out this way._

_The seeker, hidden in the back of a group of like-framed mechs, shot a glare towards the front of the room. Megatron and his pet telepath were far too smug, far too pleased with having '__acquired_'_ so lofty a prize as himself. They knew that if he_'_d been given a real choice, he would have rather died than be a Decepticon._

_That was why they_'_d given him a choice: __**join us or see your mate die.**_

_They knew __**everything**__ about his mate – when he left their home to go work his shift, what time he took an energon break, what time he would return at the end of every cycle... They knew each and every astrosecond of his mate_'_s day, and the seeker had no doubt that they would follow through on their threat._

_He had made the only choice he could to keep the promise he_'_d made on the day of their bonding – to always keep him from harm – and reluctantly agreed to the slaggers_'_ terms._

_His collapse shortly after being inducted into the ranks had been unexpected. The pitiful excuse for a medic the '__con ranks offered could find no reason for his ailment and sent him on his way without bothering to look closer. But the seeker knew what had happened. When he returned to the quarters provided to him – complete with an armed guard in case he decided to attempt an escape – he went to the washroom and checked to be certain._

_The tiny spark that had been growing next to his for nearly two orns had extinguished, leaving only a far-too-small scar as any indication it had once existed._

_The Decepticons had truly taken everything away from him: his mate, his decisions, his freedom, and his sparkling._

_But they hadn_'_t taken his mind, or his cunning. It would take vorns, possibly megacycles, before he would see any results, but he __**would**__ avenge the little one who would never see the world._

_Starscream had all the time in the world to plan._


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro**  
****Warnings:** character angst  
**Author Notes at the end of the chapter.  
**

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In spite of the fact that he was still sore from having suffered the brunt of Megatron's frustration at his 'ill-timed opinion' regarding their upcoming mission, a faint satisfied smile rested on Starscream's face. As he had once predicted so many megacycles ago, it had taken time to see results of his subversive efforts to destroy Megatron's credibility and sow seeds of discord among the Decepticon army.

Granted, the stupid slagger had set himself up for a fall right at the beginning; in order to keep a firm eye on his reluctant recruit, the commander had appointed the seeker as his second-in-command. At first it had merely been an empty title, a means for both Megatron and Soundwave to keep a close watch on Starscream to ensure that he didn't attempt to get in contact with his mate or escape. When the seeker began to display a natural inclination for spotting the flaws in plans and appeared to accept that deactivation was his only way out, the position became more genuine.

And _that_ was when he began to slowly chip away at the army from the inside. It wasn't much at first; the Decepticon armada was still powerful and the Autobots were feeling the effects of energon loss long before his efforts started to pay off. His plans rested fully on Megatron's belief that Starscream was loyal, even if reluctantly so, and that he would make no attempts to see his mate.

His first real overt actions came when the _Ark_ was launched from Cybertron and Megatron gathered his best soldiers to go after it. He couldn't sabotage the _Nemesis_ itself, but he did manage to compromise the control systems before they caught up with the Autobot vessel. And when they did latch onto the other ship and board, it took little more than a few 'misfired' shots to send the whole thing careening to the surface of the planet they now resided upon.

While the four million year stasis was fully unexpected, a part of him preened when he realized it meant that there had been four million years where _Shockwave_, brilliant idiot that he was, had been the only Decepticon officer functioning. When they were eventually able to contact Cybertron, it had been all Starscream could do _not_ to laugh in pure wicked delight at learning of the Autobot femmes' frequent attacks on Darkmount.

Really, he couldn't have wished for better news if he'd planned for that to happen.

The real trick had been ensuring that the Autobots aboard the _Ark_ would be just as functional as the Decepticons he still loathed to be around. Shooting at the ship had been a calculated risk – just one stray shot to the rock wall next to the wreckage could have caused a cave-in that would finish them off, and his mate was one of the mechs traveling with Prime – but his efforts had been doubly successful; Megatron was convinced that Starscream had jostled something loose in his processor as a result of the crash, and the seeker had managed to hit in just the right spot to knock Teletraan I back online.

Even the accidental discovery that this world was the one his former partner and closest friend had crashed upon megacycles before the war began was beneficial for his plans. Starscream played up his role to the hilt, displaying erratic behaviour that would continue to convince mechs on both sides that he was a twisted shell of his former self and going so far as to shoot Skyfire when his 'plans' failed to pan out. It had been tough, but not impossible a feat to accomplish; it was one of the few times he'd suffered through Megatron's rage and was able to walk away without a limp.

The only truly difficult part of it all had been, and still was, keeping the bond between himself and his mate filtered to almost non-existent at all times.

His smile faded slightly at the thought, one hand drifting to settle over his spark chamber. The physical hurts he'd suffered for his 'screw-ups' so many times paled in comparison to the shattering sense of loss he'd felt when he realized that their sparkling, the only physical reminder he'd had of his mate's love, was gone forever. The only things that kept him focused on the world around him from that day were his thoughts of revenge and the faint tremor of _worry/concern/love_ that he still received through the bond every so often. The latter often came in the wake of Megatron's rages when his hold over the dampening would slip; and even though he wanted to fully open the bond and bask in his mate's presence, all he would do was send a faint apology in reply and shutter the connection between them as much as possible without closing it off entirely.

It actually warmed him somewhat; knowing that his mate still loved him in spite of what most would view as a betrayal. He wished that the rumours of bondmates being able to speak to one another without comm links were true, he longed so much to just whisper his reasons for even being with the Decepticons to the other, needed so much to hear his mate's voice when it wasn't from across a battlefield....

The small smile returned to his face again and he lightly tapped on his chest. There was a raid on a power plant scheduled for later today, and Megatron wished to test a new incendiary device on 'their' foes. Starscream hadn't been the one to design it, but he had watched the Constructicons do so attentively. He knew just what wires to cross and cut to turn it into a ticking bomb that would go off with just a slight change in pressure to the casing. He'd even managed to make Megatron think it was _his_ idea to 'force' the seeker carry the device on the mission.

A trickle of melancholy satisfaction seeped through his frame. Had he not lost the sparkling, this would have been its creation day anniversary. It was almost fitting that today he would finally destroy one of the mechs who'd made his life hell; one way or another Starscream would hopefully be able to reunite with one of his precious loves by the end of the cycle.

A sudden flux of _concern/love_ flitted through his processor, and the seeker blinked; apparently he'd been so lost in his thoughts that he'd dropped the filters over the bond again. His immediate reaction was to reply as usual, but he paused before doing anything. After a moment of indecision, he replied across the bond with a sense of _reassurance/melancholy/love_.

There was a brief burst of _confusion/happiness_ across the bond, drawing a faint laugh from the seeker, followed by _love/worry/comfort_. Without the benefit of a comm link, there was no way for his mate to know what was causing Starscream's less than cheerful mood; the fact that the other was instinctively seeking to soothe his mate left the seeker feeling warm.

He offlined his optics for a moment, replying with _love/longing/resolve/apology_ then slowly, carefully shut off the bond entirely for the first time in his life. There was no way of knowing how successful his plan would be, and if he lost his own life in the process he wanted to spare his mate as much as possible. Trembling slightly at the overwhelming emptiness he felt with the bond silenced, Starscream set an internal alarm to wake him an hour before the army planned to head out and drifted into an uneasy recharge.

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**Author Notes:** Just to quickly clarify in case there were any doubts: I am, indeed, implying that all of Starscream's minor snafus and colossal foul-ups were intentional on his part. What better way to pick away at someone's credibility in the eyes of others than to have one of his top-ranked officers show constant signs of ineptitude? I know it doesn't come across clearly in this chapter, but let's just say that _someone_ was feeding into another seeker's doubts about whether Decepticon ideals match his own.


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro**  
****Warnings:** character death (mwahahaha)

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Skyfire glanced around carefully to see if anyone else had noticed the abrupt change in the mech's mood, somehow not surprised that none of the others had picked up on it. Only half a lifetime of knowing his fellow Autobot as first Starscream's mate and then over time as someone he could honestly call his friend left the shuttle able to pick up on even the slightest variation of the other mech's state of mind.

Earlier in the day, his friend had been in relatively good spirits, going about his usual daily routine with an air of contentment; Skyfire didn't think the other had been truly happy since Starscream went over to the Decepticons so early in the war, but he still had his good days along with the bad. Then around noon, the mech had flinched slightly as if in surprise only for his overall mood to take on a worried edge before abruptly doing a complete turn-around. Whatever contentment he'd been feeling had been overshadowed by dread that was carefully hidden behind a façade... unless, of course, one knew how to read his moods.

The shuttle had been savvy enough to wait until there was a bit of a lull and the break room was occupied only by those mechs merely taking a short break in their duty rotation. He knew that the other tended to take the briefest of moments to get some energon, so he was admittedly surprised when his friend waved him over to a table the moment he stepped into the room. He'd chosen one well away from any potential eavesdroppers, and didn't say a word until Skyfire was seated.

"Next time we go up against the 'cons, keep an optic on Starscream for me," he requested quietly, still radiating a subtle aura of concern.

Skyfire blinked and took another quick look to see if anyone was watching – they weren't – before asking, "Do you think he's got something planned?"

The other mech frowned. "I _know_ he's planning something, and it's probably something incredibly, dangerously stupid. I'd take being able to feel that low thrum of hatred that's always simmering in him over nothing." When the shuttle's optics widened, he allowed himself a wry smile. "He's shut off the bond on his end. All these megacycles, and the first time he closes it off completely is right after _finally_ responding with something other than a fragging apology."

"Something must be making you think he's going to put himself in a worse position than usual," Skyfire pressed carefully, knowing that it would be a bad thing to set off his friend's temper. While Starscream had once told him that arguing with his mate was fun (and he _really_ hadn't wanted to know that much about his best friend's interfacing habits, thank you very much), Skyfire had found that being on the receiving end of said temper was not a place he ever wanted to be.

His friend peered into his half-empty cube for a moment before responding. "About midday I felt a tinge of sadness from him. I responded, and although his reply was more like what he _used_ to send during a normal cycle the underlying negatives were still there. _Then_ the stupid fragger apologized and closed the bond," he ended with a brief snarl. "I swear, if he doesn't get himself killed, I'm going to strangle him when I finally get my hands on him again."

Skyfire bit back a laugh. _And to think I used to wonder what they saw in each other,_ he mused absently, listening to the other mech grumble something about half-clocked seekers making their groundling mates fret over them. When his friend finally seemed to be done with his muttering the shuttle replied to the initial request: "I'm not sure how much good it'll do considering that he moves so fast, but I'll keep him in sight."

The other's shoulders slumped briefly in relief. "Thank you, Skyfire," he said, his tone somewhat lighter now that there was someone else carrying part of the burden.

And then the alarm went off.

oOoOoOo

True to his word, Skyfire's first order of business when they arrived at the plant to find most of the Decepticon army up to their usual tricks was cast his gaze around for his seeker friend. Surprisingly enough, Starscream wasn't in the air for once; he was standing off to one side of Megatron, opposite Soundwave and with one of his trine mates (the blue one – Thundercracker, right?) covering his back. The other seekers were taking off rapidly to deliver what energon the 'cons had managed to gather back to their base even as the ground troops fired upon the Autobots.

The shuttle opened a comm link to his friend. **"I can't be too sure, but it looks like you may have been right to worry. Starscream's on foot."**

The immediate response was a string of curses, followed by, **"If it looks like he's about to do something monumentally stupid, shoot him and drag his skid plate over here. I can patch it up while yelling at him later."**

Skyfire shook his head slightly as he turned his full attention back to the battle. Most of the Decepticons were starting to fall back, giving every indication that Megatron was definitely up to something. The silver mech looked far too pleased with himself, and it seemed as if Soundwave was radiating some of that confidence as well even as he moved off to join the soldiers already behind his leader. The shuttle turned his optics towards Starscream and was startled by how oddly _calm_ the seeker was being. Generally at this point in a battle he'd have been scrambling to fall back, but today he appeared to be waiting for something.

"Fools!" Megatron crowed when most of his army was no longer between himself and the Autobots. "So easily drawn from the safety of your ship. This time there will _be_ no escape for you! Starscream, hand me the device."

"Of course, Megatron," Starscream replied, and the syrupy-sweet tone set off every last one of Skyfire's internal alarms. His dread was confirmed an instant later when the calm in his best friend's optics was replaced by unadulterated hatred as he snarled, _"Catch,"_ and abruptly threw the machine he had been holding at Megatron.

There was only a fraction of a second to take in everything – the stunned expressions on several of the Decepticons' faces, the abrupt jerk of Soundwave's head as he locked his attention on Starscream, the shock and realization in Megatron's optics – before the device connected with the silver mech's chest compartment and exploded in a spectacular burst of light. The force of the blast knocked several mechs on both sides of the field off their feet, the lightshow itself forcing everyone still functioning to shutter their optics to keep from being blinded. Soundwave was already calling a retreat to the 'cons that had escaped the blast radius, and before the dust had completely settled the only ones left behind were the mostly-undamaged Autobots and the three Decepticons who had been closest to the explosion: Megatron, Thundercracker, and Starscream.

Ratchet and First Aid were already moving forward, Swoop falling back to start triage on the wounded Autobots. They didn't even bother with Megatron; it was obvious from the faded armour and sizable hole where his spark chamber used to be that there was nothing to be done for the ex-Decepticon commander. On silent agreement the younger medic moved to check Thundercracker while the CMO turned his attention to assessing Starscream.

"Don't know why they're bothering," Cliffjumper groused from somewhere behind Skyfire. "The only good 'con is a dead one."

"And living prisoners are more valuable than dead prisoners," Ratchet said sharply in reply, lifting his gaze only long enough to glare at the minibot. "Especially prisoners who just deactivated their own commanding officer."

Optimus Prime's optics narrowed in thought. "Given that the Decepticons likely believe that two-thirds of their elite trine was lost as well, there's no telling how long it'll be before they'll be back in action."

"Agreed," Prowl said. "There will either be a drawn-out power struggle for command, or Soundwave will take command with Skywarp as his second. The first outcome would be most beneficial in the long run, but we have to keep the latter in mind as well."

Prime nodded before turning back to the troops. "All Autobots who are able to, transform and return to base. Anyone who can't, go with Skyfire and the med team." The shuttle gave a nod and transformed, waiting for his injured comrades to make their way into his hold and for the medbots to move those who were unable to board under their own power as the uninjured Autobots headed for home.

Skyfire waited until everyone was aboard and he'd taken wing before reopening a comm link to his friend. **"You okay?"**

**"Yeah."** There was a brief pause before he added, **"Remind me to **_**hit him**_** once he's operational again for blowing himself up and nearly offlining for good."**

He laughed quietly to himself. Trust Ratchet to express worry through violence.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So... who guessed correctly? I'm curious to see how many people had even the slightest clue who I had in mind.


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro

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It was probably a good thing Ratchet could shove aside his feelings while working on a colleague; it made working on the extensive damage that his complete _idiot_ of a bondmate had exposed himself to somewhat easier. While one part of his processor recorded the level of damage and calculated how long it would take to get Starscream to the point that his self-repair systems could take over, the more emotional section was both torqued-off at how the seeker could just throw himself into harm's way like he did and elated that there was a low static-filled thrum coming across the bond.

It was reassuring; the static was an indication that not only was the other alive but had gone into stasis lock and therefore wasn't in any pain.

After returning to base, Ratchet had set his apprentices to work repairing the damaged Autobots and turned his own focus to the seekers. Thundercracker had been just a few steps behind Starscream when the whatever-it-was that his mate had thrown at Megatron detonated, yet had somehow managed to escape the brunt of the blast. The CMO had repaired the worst of the injuries and allowed Swoop to take over as soon as the Dinobot had finished with the last of his comrades; First Aid had moved to assist with Starscream when he sent the final repaired Autobots off to their quarters to rest.

The air commander was still in bad shape, but looked a hell of a lot better than he had when they'd brought him in. Ratchet was confident that he would be able to get the other back into fighting shape again, after which he'd have a fight of his own to deal with; Thundercracker had been taken to the brig not long ago and it was clear that Prowl planned to have Starscream moved there as soon as he was out of danger as well. There was no _way_ that Ratchet was letting his mate out of his sight unless it was after locking him in his own quarters to make _damned_ sure the idiot didn't decide to pull the same stunt against any other Decepticons.

"Looks like there's some minor damage to the spark casing," he murmured absently, noting a nod from First Aid. "That'll have to be replaced. Swoop, grab an FC-grade casing from the third shelf in replacements." The pteranodon was quick to comply even as Ratchet turned his full attention back to the delicate process of removing the cover to the old casing. The chamber itself was still secure, but with a damaged casing the seeker wouldn't be able to withstand the air pressure of higher altitudes; grounding a flyer was the cruelest of fates and Ratchet would never wish that upon his mate.

First Aid looked up to offer a smile to Swoop as the other apprentice returned with the requested part before glancing back to the wounded seeker's internal workings. A slight frown crossed his face as he caught sight of an anomaly that could be easily missed if one wasn't looking right at it.

"He's got a spontaneous-extinguishing scar," the younger ambulance remarked, confusion colouring his tone. Swoop gave him a quizzical look before leaning in to look as well; neither of the younger medbots noticed that their commander froze at the words.

"That's impossible," Ratchet said, his tone a bit harsher than he intended. There was _no slagging way in the pit_ that Starscream would have neglected to mention it to him if he had ever been carrying. The only possible reason would have been if it was still in the early stages, between one and three orns, when there was still the potential danger of the newspark self-extinguishing....

First Aid shook his head. "Unexpected, maybe, but it's there," he said, carefully pointing towards the faint imperfection marring the seeker's spark.

Ratchet set aside the damaged casing cover and moved to the other side of the repair berth, Swoop moving aside to allow the older mech to take his spot. Sure enough (and against every silent plea he'd been sending to Primus for the past minute or so), there was a tiny starburst scar low on Starscream's spark. In cases where a sparkling had reached the full twelve orns required to be safely transferred into a protoform shell, the resulting scar was a thin line that came from the tools necessary to separate the newspark from its carrier's. When a spark spontaneously extinguished at any stage – most common in the first three orns but not unheard of at any stage of development – the result was a starburst pattern.

Mentally making the comparison to the last spontaneous-extinguishing scar he'd seen (Mirage only a year or so ago, the former noble and Jazz were still mourning the loss although they were starting to recover) and noting that it was marginally smaller, Ratchet began to mentally calculate _when_ his mate likely conceived. Working backwards from the cycle that Starscream abruptly vanished from their home he placed the date of spark conception somewhere about two orns before that; they'd had a rather spectacular row that day and it had been nearly a joor before they were ready to make up. It had been the last time prior to Starscream's disappearance and reemergence as a Decepticon that they'd spark-merged, and given that the bond between them had never wavered once over the megacycles Ratchet _knew_ that the sparkling could only have been his.

"Not so new-looking as scar him Mirage has," Swoop noted, shooting a troubled look at Ratchet; the Dinobots looked on Wheeljack and the CMO as their creators in spite of knowing that the two were no more than friends (known only because Slag, in a fit of what he thought was bravery and what Grimlock deemed an impressive display of stupidity, had asked point-blank if their creators were mates. Ratchet had laughed for a full minute and Wheeljack had locked himself in the lab for days due to embarrassment). The five had determined that the medbot did have a mate, that he wasn't on Cybertron, and was most likely a Decepticon. Each one had his suspicions on just who it might be, and if Swoop was reading the absence of reaction correctly, it seemed like Grimlock was going to win their private betting pool.

"You two go on and take off," Ratchet said abruptly, tone even and professional. "I can handle the rest from here."

First Aid shot his mentor an incredulous look. "There's still a lot of damage left to repair," he argued. "It'll take less time—"

"I said I can handle it." This time there was a dangerous edge to the CMO's voice that caused both apprentice medbots to flinch. "Get out."

Giving no more argument the Protectobot and Dinobot scurried out of the repair bay, Swoop turning abruptly and heading towards where he could sense the rest of his co-creations. There was a very strong possibility that Ratchet would refuse to turn over custody of Starscream once repairs were finished, and he needed to find out where his brothers' loyalties would lie if the situation dissolved into a fight.

Back in the repair bay Ratchet sent a lock code to the doors, setting it to open only for his override before turning his attention back to his damaged mate. He gave in to the need to run his fingers soothingly across the seeker's cheek, sending a faint thrum of _love/sadness/understanding_ across their bond. He didn't know if it could be picked up with Starscream in stasis lock, but he could continue to send until he was sure it was received.

"We can talk when you're back online," he murmured quietly, completing the casing replacement that had drawn his attention to the scarring in the first place. "I never understood why you went to the 'cons after arguing that the Autobots were our best bet for survival. What did they do to you, that made you go to them and put everything on the line, starling?"

Knowing that it would be some time before he could gain any answers, Ratchet fell silent and resumed his task, still sending over their bond in hopes of being heard.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Notes:** Sorry, this is a bit of an interlude chapter! Meaning, Ratchet and Starscream are currently not talking to me for being so cruel to them thus far and didn't want to have a 'real' reunion just yet. So, you get twins gossiping and TC being Mr. Exposition. Sort of.

Anyway, fairly short chapter this time through; I'll make up for it by having Chapter Five come out sometime tomorrow.  


* * *

  
"Don't spread rumours, Sides," Sunstreaker grumbled, giving his twin a dark glare and ignoring the mech settled against the wall of the cell at his back. He hated being stuck on guard duty – if only because it meant that there was no one to keep his idiot brother in check – and there was absolutely nothing of interest about a seeker who didn't seem to be in a mood to argue back. In fact, Thundercracker had given the front-liner the briefest of looks when he was escorted to the brig before acting as if Sunstreaker wasn't even there.

"No lie, bro," Sideswipe insisted, looking equal parts confused and cheerful. "The Hatchet kicked the other meds out of the repair bay and locked it up tighter than one of Red Alert's security systems. Last I heard, the Dinobots were patrolling the halls around that area and not letting anyone get closer than two corridors away."

Sunstreaker frowned thoughtfully, leaning his weight against the wall. "That _is_ odd," he admitted. "Especially since our favourite medic seemed awfully preoccupied with the screaming one while we were headed back. I know he's fragged up, but it _is_ his own doing; no one made him throw a bomb at Bucket-head, you know."

A faint snort came from the cell behind him, and both twins turned to look at the blue seeker. Thundercracker's attention was still focused on the wall, but he looked idly amused.

Sideswipe quirked a brow ridge curiously but opted to ignore the seeker for the moment. "True," he said in reply to his brother's observation. "In his vast history of get-rid-of-Megatron schemes, though, this is the first time he's been directly in the line of fire. It seemed less like _I __**will**__ rule the Decepticons_ and more like a suicide run to me."

"Maybe he finally jarred a few too many screws loose," Sunstreaker remarked.

"Or, he decided everyone's guard was down and it was the right time to strike." This time when the twins turned to stare at Thundercracker, the mech pushed himself to his feet and stalked towards the bars. "It's really easy to hide your motives when mechs on _both_ sides of the field underestimate you at every turn."

"Hold up," Sideswipe said, confusion flickering in his optics. "Are you saying that Screamer's been _planning_ something like this?"

"Sorry, I'm not buying it," Sunstreaker added, glaring at the seeker. Thundercracker met his gaze evenly.

"I'm saying he's been planning something for a very long time," the Decepticon replied. "Exactly how long, I can't say nor will I venture to guess. What I _do_ know is, Starscream's been throwing spanners into every one of Megatron's schemes since we got to this planet, and that there are a lot of us with 'Autobot tendencies' that have relied on his plotting so we could stay off of a certain superior's radar."

Sunstreaker scowled. "Still not buying what you're selling. If the mech's so opposed to the Decepticons, why'd he join 'em in the first place, let alone rise to second in command of the whole fragging army?"

Thundercracker laughed darkly. "He didn't earn slag," the seeker said. "Megatron just up and made him second in command no more than a few orns after he joined up, and even then Soundwave was two steps behind him at all times for close to six vorns. No one has a clue why, but I think it was an attempt to keep an eye on him, make sure he didn't defect. Honestly? I'm pretty sure Starscream's the only mech who hates what we 'cons have done to Cybertron and what we've been trying to do to Earth more than I do."

The twins exchanged disbelieving looks, talking over a private comm link as Thundercracker moved to lean on the wall. After a moment, Sideswipe spoke up once more: "So, what makes you think he's been waiting to pull something for so long?"

"I asked him once, back before we left Cybertron and he started acting like he was glitched in the processor, why he was playing the good little sycophant," the seeker replied softly. "He said, _revenge should be sudden and unexpected, even if one has to wait megacycles for the right time to strike_." He shook his head slightly before adding, "I don't know what Megatron did to make Starscream hate him so much, but I do know I would never want it directed my way."

"Well, it paid off," Sunstreaker finally said once an uneasy silence had fallen. "Old Megs is offlined but good, so that probably means Soundwave'll take over."

The seeker in the cell snorted. "I wish him the best." At the twins' confused expressions he smirked. "Did I just not get through saying that I'm not the only Decepticon with doubts? Half the Constructicons would rather go neutral, Thrust just wants to go home and doesn't care how it's done, and the Combaticons won't listen to orders given by anyone other than Starscream."

Sideswipe opened his mouth to reply, only to abruptly frown as he was paged. **"What's up, Red?"** he asked, turning away from the cell and his brother's attempts to drag more answers from the seeker.

**"Security breech in the medical wing,"** came the immediate response, the other Lamborghini's voice oddly calm in spite of the news. **"Grimlock went into the repair bay about ten minutes ago then left with Ratchet **_**and**_** Starscream. Starscream's still offline, but I can't track them any further."**

Sideswipe's frown deepened. **"They're avoiding the cameras?"**

**"No, Snarl **_**accidentally**_** knocked out all the cameras between the repair bay doors and the science labs,"** Red Alert growled. **"I'm pretty sure that their destination is Ratchet's quarters. You and Sunstreaker up to running the Dinobots off long enough for me and Prowl to find out what the pit is going on?"**

Sideswipe gave an affirmative and turned to grin at his brother. "So," he chirped, grinning even broader at Sunstreaker's wary expression, "we've been drafted for a dinosaur hunt."

* * *

  
**End Note:** It is currently 11 PM as I finish this up. In twelve and a half hours I will officially be one more year older. Consider this a birthday gift from me to y'all... even though _I'm_ the one supposed to get pressies....


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Warnings:** minor TF cursing and Grimlock showing off just _why_ it's a bad idea to underestimate the Dinobots.  
**Notes:** Well, I had intended to have this chapter out shortly after my birthday (for those wondering, it was great!). However, I couldn't figure out just how to get it started, _then_ I felt like the chapter was a bit too short and had to figure out a way to extend it a little bit. I finally came up with a way to both move the story along as well as show just what was going on during the previous chapter.

* * *

Ratchet narrowed his optics and glared at the Dinobot standing over by the door. Only a few minutes before he had received a databurst from Grimlock, the tyrannosaur requesting permission to enter the repair bay; as he had just finished putting the last of his tools away and started to ponder just _how_ he was going to covertly move Starscream to his quarters, the medic sent the override code to the door and allowed the Dinobot to enter. His initial thought had been that maybe he could convince Grimlock that neither the repair bay nor the brig was a suitable place for the seeker to come online (granted, he wasn't entirely sure _how_ he would have gone about doing that), but that thought was derailed by the tyrannosaur speaking first.

Hence why Ratchet was currently glaring and trying to figure out if his audio receptors needed to be recalibrated. "You wanna run that by me again?" he asked, tone indicating that he wasn't amused.

Grimlock gazed back at the irritated medic. "Me Grimlock want to know if you Ratchet need help taking him Starscream away from repair bay to someplace safe," he repeated, somewhat amused by his creator's reaction to the announcement. In the private comm link he shared with the other Dinobots, he could hear Swoop chiding him for being so direct but opted to ignore the pteranodon. They were going to have to be quick, as by now Snarl should be knocking out the last of the cameras between here and Perceptor's lab; the only camera left untouched was the one directly facing the repair bay, and that was only because no one (not even the twins, who had turned avoiding all the cameras into an art form) knew exactly where it was hidden in the wall.

"That's what I thought you said," Ratchet said carefully. He could sense the faint static-buzz shifting slowly into _exhaustion/confusion/worry_ as his mate came out of stasis lock and into a deep recharge instead. It would likely be only hours before Starscream onlined fully, and it would be best for that to happen in a less-public location. "And just why would you even offer to assist? Protocol says that any enemy prisoners are to be moved to the brig upon completion of repairs."

"We Dinobots not so stupid as many Autobots think," Grimlock replied. "Know that you Ratchet have mate. Not hear from him Skyfire," the tyrannosaur was quick to add, "learn from watching after him Slag act like idiot and ask if creators mates. Him Wheeljack embarrassed but you Ratchet amused. So Dinobots watched, wanted to see why."

The medic stared at Grimlock and shook his head, bemused and somewhat startled by how easily his creations seemed to have read into his actions at that one moment. "So you five figured out in a course of months what the entire rest of the army hasn't even discovered after megacycles. There's no reason they should underestimate your intellect."

Grimlock radiated smug amusement. "All Dinobots had different opinion on which Decepticon mate was. Me Grimlock win bet, only one to guess him Starscream."

Ratchet laughed faintly, shaking his head. "Well, that leaves six Autobots I won't have to worry about getting involved in this. It's going to be messy enough, considering the circumstances." He sent a faint wave of _love/understanding/calm_ to Starscream and smiled at the weak _relief/exhaustion/love_ he received in return. "The problem now is, how do I get Starscream from here to my quarters without Red Alert or Prowl showing up before I even get there?"

"Him Snarl had small accident with cameras," the tyrannosaur responded immediately, grinning behind his facemask when Ratchet turned to give him an incredulous look. "Him Slag and him Sludge arguing two corridors away; him Swoop scolding him Snarl for breaking cameras outside him Perceptor's lab."

The medic was not only impressed with the Dinobots' thoroughness but a little proud as well. He had the feeling that a lot of 'bots would be thinking twice before calling the prehistorically-designed mechs stupid in the future.

oOoOoOo

Prowl was positive that every last one of his logic circuits was going to be fried by the end of the cycle, and Red Alert's twitchiness was _not_ helping.

Granted, he was likewise concerned when he found out that Ratchet had apparently smuggled the Decepticon air commander to his private rooms with the Dinobots' assistance, but he was trying to tell himself that the CMO _must_ have a reasonable explanation for doing so. That was the only reason Prowl agreed with the security director's suggestion to have the twins run interference long enough to allow Red Alert and him to get to Ratchet's quarters and at least find out what was going on.

The door remaining securely locked and their databursts ignored was giving him the worst processor ache. Okay, that plus the steady stream of _confusion/worry/paranoia_ coming from his mate. Subconsciously sending another pulse of _calm/reassurance_ in an attempt to drown out the negatives Prowl nudged Red Alert to the side and pounded on the door. Normally he would have tried another databurst, but his patience was wearing thin and his priorities were rapidly shifting from _deal with the security issue_ to _obliterate that which is sending my mate's glitch into overdrive_.

"Ratchet, open this door _right now_ and explain yourself before I have it removed," Prowl snapped. Red Alert was staring at him, obviously startled at the abrupt change of face and more than a little intrigued if the faint thrum of _confusion/apology/arousal_ was any indication.

_"Then remove it,"_ Ratchet replied almost instantly, voice muffled not only by the steel of the door but by distance; it sounded as if he was in the archway leading to his recharge berth and not concerned with moving any closer than that. _"Either way, I'm not giving any excuses until __**I**__ know what's going on."_

Prowl felt a growl building in his vocalizer but Red Alert spoke up before he could voice it: "Look, I know that you want what's best for the mechs who go through the repair bay, but need I remind you that Starscream is a high-ranked Decepticon officer? Protocol demands—"

_"I don't give half a frag what protocol demands,"_ the CMO snarled back, sounding no closer but a lot less happy. _"And no, Red Alert, you __**don't**__ need to remind me what Starscream is. I know better than you could ever imagine. That is __**exactly**__ why the two of you are going to leave right now."_ There was a brief pause before he added, _"If you really need to know, though, go talk to Skyfire. Tell him I said its fine. Everyone's going to find out soon enough anyway."_

"What are you talking about?" When there was no answer, Prowl twitched in annoyance and turned to look at his equally confused and frustrated mate. "Well, that got us nowhere fast."

Red Alert huffed through his vents and rubbed at his helm. "We have exactly three options right now," he said carefully. "The first is to find someone willing to not only take the door off its tracks but to drag Ratchet to the brig. And given that _everyone_ is terrified of Ratchet's temper..."

"We'll have an obvious shortage of volunteers," Prowl replied dryly. "What are the other two choices?"

"Go inform Prime of what little we know and let him handle the fallout, or follow Ratchet's advice and ask Skyfire what the pit is going on."

Prowl's doorwings drooped slightly as he heaved a sigh of his own. "Why do I get the feeling that even if we speak with Skyfire, it'd be a good idea for Optimus to listen in as well?" he asked rhetorically.

As usual, he received an answer anyway. "Because that's how fragged up our lives are, dearest. Should we grab Skyfire on the way to Prime's office or let Prime call him in after we get there?"


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Warnings:** minor TF cursing and Skyfire's assessment of a Hatchet/Screamer romance.  
**Notes:** At long last, I've delved back into this story! I have to apologize for the loooooooooong hiatus on it, I just... somehow wandered off to other stories. But this has been nipping at me here of late, so I decided to go for it. This is another exposition-style chapter; Ratchet and Starscream aren't ready to have their argument as yet, but it is coming!

* * *

Skyfire wasn't terribly surprised to note that both Prowl and Red Alert were waiting in Optimus Prime's office when he arrived. The Autobot commander had commed him only a few moments before, and given the events of the previous day he had a good idea of just _why_ the Prime had contacted him. Adding in the rumours of Ratchet kicking his apprentices out of the repair bay and the Dinobots damaging every camera in the science wing, he would have been surprised if the head of security _hadn't_ been present.

Still, he opted to maintain a bit of formality, giving the bonded pair a slight nod before addressing Optimus. "You needed to see me, sir?"

Unsurprisingly, it was Prowl who answered the question. "Yes. We were actually, ah, _advised_ to bring our inquiry to you. I'm sure you've heard more than a few rumours by now regarding our... guests."

"There's been talk," Skyfire replied, wondering absently if he could drop by and check in on his friends later in the cycle.

"Skyfire." This time it was Optimus who spoke, sounding both mildly amused and just a little wary. "Are you aware of any reason why my CMO would breech protocol in order to house an enemy soldier in his own quarters?"

"Do you want the long version or just the highlights?"

Red Alert and Prowl exchanged a look (and probably a private comm call from the slight dimming of their optics) before turning to face the shuttle again. "Whichever would best explain the situation, if you please," the SIC stated firmly.

Skyfire nodded and took a seat in one of the few oversized chairs in the Prime's office. "You might want to sit down. Even the shorter version will take a while." He waited until the two officers were seated, taking the opportunity to review the facts as he had received them before he spoke again:

"First off, I should apologize for withholding information. While I never knew most of you until recently, I met Ratchet about a millennium before the war ever began. Granted, we barely crossed paths for a few dozen vorns in spite of both working out of the same facility, and even then I didn't make his acquaintance until later."

Red Alert frowned, clearly wanting to ask about the significance of the disclosure, but instead settled on asking, "And Starscream was already your partner at that point, correct?"

Skyfire nodded. "He was. And he was actually the first of us to interact with Ratchet. I believe his exact description at the time was _annoying, old, stubborn, miss-clocked old mech with the audacity to treat me like a wayward sparkling, and did I mention old?_" An amused grin crossed his dermaplating as he added, "Obviously, Star wasn't terribly impressed with him at first."

"Obviously," Prowl replied dryly. "It sounds as if not much has changed regarding our chief medic's temperament."

"It took a good astral cycle or two before I ever actually knew Ratchet's name," Skyfire continued, still looking amused. "And even then there were a few _old mechs_ and _annoying slaggers_ thrown in. Eventually those dropped away, but the mech still came up in conversations. From what I could tell at the time, apparently they'd decided to take their mutual aggravation with one another _away_ from the work place and began to conduct their arguments elsewhere.

"I think I realized what, exactly, had shifted in their interactions when I asked Star when they were just going to stop messing around and get bonded. I intended it to be a joke, but he actually stopped mid-rant, stared at me for about a micron, then replied that they hadn't really thought about that just yet."

There was a faint buzz and snap as Prowl's logic processor chose that moment to reboot. Red Alert glanced between his bondmate and the shuttle, obviously trying to find words and failing miserably. Optimus honestly couldn't blame either of them for the reaction, as he was stunned as well, but his mask helped to keep his own shock hidden.

Skyfire, not surprisingly, looked amused. "Yes, I reacted pretty much the same way when I found out," he remarked casually as he waited politely for Prowl to finish booting up. "When you think about it, though, it starts to make sense. Star's never been truly happy unless he has someone to verbally spar with, and there were very few individuals that we knew back then who were able to keep up once he got started. I'm convinced that he realized arguing with Ratchet was fun, and things progressed from there."

"I... _suppose_ it makes some sort of sense," Prowl managed after a moment (apparently he'd opted to switch off his logic processor until the conversation was finished for his own sanity's sake). "Our resident medic does tend to start arguments for argument's sake at times, and everyone around here backs down quickly once they realize they'll lose anyway. Still, being able to tear into one another verbally doesn't seem to be the basis of a stable relationship."

Red Alert's optics widened as a thought abruptly crossed through his processor. "Please – lie to me if you must – tell me that they didn't fight just so they could make up afterwards."

"They never argued just so they could make up later," Skyfire deadpanned, his tone making it obvious that the words were false. "And Star never told me more than I ever wanted to know about it."

Optimus actually found himself choking back a laugh. As much as he didn't want to know about _any_ of his officers' private lives, he found it very believable that the CMO would view a good argument as a form of foreplay, _especially_ if Skyfire's insinuations were to be believed. Still, he didn't feel that the shuttle was giving them all the facts that he knew, and the Prime decided to press for more information.

"It seems to me that you're implying that they did, eventually, do more than just think about bonding," Optimus said, phrasing his indirect question carefully.

"I stood as one of their witnesses," Skyfire replied with a nod, confirming the Prime's suspicions. "The other was a friend of Ratchet's that remained a neutral and was offlined early in the war."

Red Alert was frowning again, attempting to make sense of the information he'd heard. "But it makes no sense," he said after a moment. "Prowl and I bonded shortly before things started taking a turn for the worse, and the very thought of being on opposing sides is incomprehensible."

Prowl nodded, seeing where his mate was going with his thoughts and sending a brief wave of _agreement/affection/curiosity_ across the bond. "So, why would Starscream – an individual that you've said time and again is a different mech than the one you knew – willingly separate from his own bondmate to join the Decepticons?"

The head of security stiffened abruptly, a flash of _realization/shock/empathy_ flitting to his mate. "Yet if he _wasn't_ willing, his behaviour during that period I glitched so badly makes a lot more sense." Noting the looks send his way by Optimus and Skyfire along with the thread of _query/comfort/confusion_ from Prowl, Red Alert continued, "Starscream had the opportunity, at any time, to ensure that I permanently offlined, and yet he took no actions to place me in any more danger than he would be willing to face."

"And there have been other times in the past that the Decepticons could have easily won a battle only for _something_ to go wrong at the last minute," Prowl said slowly. "The only common thread between them is that Starscream was present at some point during or prior to the problem arising."

Optimus hummed thoughtfully, settling back in his chair to review the facts. "It might be best to leave any interrogation, as it were, to Ratchet in this case," he finally said. "This is beginning to sound very much like Starscream was coerced into his role and took the first available opportunity to strike back."

Skyfire sighed and rubbed at one optic, suddenly feeling drained and _really_ wanting to check in on his friends sooner rather than later. "I know that humans claim revenge is a dish best served cold, but this..."

Red Alert nodded in agreement. "In this case, I'd say that it had been served up over ice."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Warnings:** minor TF cursing and angst

* * *

The first indication that the seeker was back online was the faint sensation of _confusion/caution/hope/love_ filtering across their bond. Ratchet, having only really left his mate's side long enough to have a shouted 'conversation' with Prowl and Red Alert and to get a cube of energon from his in-room dispenser, set aside the data pad he'd been looking over and sent a pulse of _reassurance/love/relief_ in return. It was only about a breem later that Starscream's optics flickered online.

"How are you feeling?" the medic asked quietly, sending another affectionate pulse across their bond.

The seeker tilted his head to look at the older mech. "Like I was standing about a meter away from an incendiary device when it exploded spectacularly and lived to tell the tale," came the reply, Starscream's voice faint as he wasn't fully out of recharge just yet.

"Then you'll live," Ratchet returned, _relief/love_ clear through the bond at actual verbal reassurance his mate had pulled through. "Megatron wasn't quite so fortunate."

"Good." The single word was filled with hatred and accompanied by a strong pulse of _love/satisfaction/triumph_. "What about Thundercracker? I didn't want anyone... uninvolved getting caught in the blast."

"Functional, repaired, and sitting in a cell exchanging stories with the twins," the older mech said, fighting back a brief flux of _jealousy_ and grinning faintly at the _reassurance/devotion/love_ that came instantly in reply. "The other 'cons took off in the aftermath."

"Damn it. I had hoped to at least temporarily cripple Soundwave at the same time," Starscream muttered, trying to push himself into a seated position. Ratchet slipped from his chair and moved to help him, keeping one arm wrapped securely around the younger mech's waist once he was upright. The seeker didn't protest, instead shuttering his optics and resting his head against his mate's and venting a soft sigh.

After a moment of comfortable silence, he asked quietly, "How bad off was I?"

"Touch and go for a while," Ratchet replied just as softly, the fingers of his hand wrapped around the seeker stroking the plating lightly. "Over half your external plating was charred and cracked, eighty percent of your flight sensors were damaged but repairable, the left wing had to be completely replaced..." He hesitated for a moment, continuing only when his mate let out the faint almost-growl that meant _tell me_ accompanied by a pulse of _curiosity/query_: "And your spark casing was damaged. It had to be replaced."

The initial reply wasn't verbal, simply a flux of _realization/sorrow/loss/apology_ over the bond and Starscream managing somehow to shift closer to his bonded. It took half a breem before he responded aloud: "You saw."

"I did." A part of Ratchet wanted to lash out, demand some explanation for why in the pit his intelligent, affectionate mate would risk the safety of their sparkling by joining the very faction he'd rallied against so long ago, but kept his silence. There was a reason, and the more rational part of him knew that an explanation would be forthcoming if he was patient.

"I never got a chance to tell you," Starscream said after a moment, tone still low and quiet. "When I suspected that I was carrying, I went to Hoist to get confirmation. Never did tell him _who_ my bonded was, mainly because it wasn't anyone else's business." He let out a faint self-derisive laugh as he added, "I guess I always thought that I'd tell you about our sparkling and then we could tell all of our associates together. More the fool I, I suppose.

"I waited for almost two orns, just to be sure that our sparkling was developing properly, before I decided it was time to tell you. The only problem was I got a little... sidetracked," the seeker continued, turning his head slightly and speaking against his mate's neck. Ratchet frowned to himself, moving his hand to run along the younger mech's back strut and sending a pulse of _love/confusion/comfort_ over their bond.

"Starling," the medic said gently, feeling his bonded relax only slightly at the use of the pet name, "please, tell me. I want to understand." The full question – _I want to understand how you could hold so much hatred towards some mech that you would risk your own life to destroy him_ – went unspoken, but the return pulse of _apology/sadness/love_ confirmed that it was understood.

"I hadn't been home for long – not even a quarter-breem back from that last visit to the Academy's med center – when _they_ showed up at the door." The amount of hatred infused into that one word made it abundantly clear just who he was talking about even before Starscream confirmed their identities in his very next sentence: "Megatron and Soundwave both, wishing to offer me a position amongst their forces. Lucky me. I told them to go 'face themselves and demanded that they get out before I called the Peacekeepers. They..." he faltered for a moment, vents hitching and not relaxing even as Ratchet resumed petting his back soothingly. "They asked if I would prefer to hold off on the _negotiations_ until you returned at seventeen-hundred."

The elder mech felt the energon in his lines run cold. That sounded far too much like a very, _very_ thinly veiled threat. "What?"

Starscream nodded against his neck, letting out a distressed burst of white noise. "That was what I said. Soundwave then went on to detail every micron of your work cycle, down to the astrosecond, making it abundantly clear that unless I cooperated they could – and would – get you involved." The seeker shuddered hard, prompting his mate to wrap both arms securely around him. "Megatron gave me two choices: join the Decepticons without protest... or wait until you returned home, watch them offline you in the manner of their choosing, and then be reprogrammed into a loyal little drone."

Ratchet couldn't reply aloud, only sending _comfort/understanding/reassurance/love_ over their bond and tightening his hold on his mate. Internally, however, he was fuming. How _dare_ any mech approach his seeker and make such threats and demands of him?! If Megatron had still been online, he would be sorely tempted to deactivate the mech in as slow and painful a manner as possible to even begin to avenge his Star.

"All these vorns must have been sheer torture for you," he finally murmured, turning his head to rest one cheek plate against his bonded's. Starscream shivered and curled against him all the more. "Did they know about...?"

"No," the seeker murmured, his own arms slipping around the older mech's waist as he sent a pulse of _gratitude/relief/love_ to the other. "I hoped to keep it quiet until it was too late for anything other than to transfer the newspark into a sparkling protoform. But they just never let up. Constantly watching, making sure that I wasn't doing anything that looked remotely like an attempt to escape, scheduling training sessions every spare micron of the cycle... it was only a matter of time before it all caught up to me."

Ratchet made a faint sound of understanding, remembering intelligence reports on how grueling and demanding the Decepticon training regime could be. "How long?"

"Half an orn," Starscream whispered. "That half-clocked excuse of a medic Blackout didn't even notice a thing, just chalked it up to exhaustion and sent me on my way. But I knew. And I wasn't going to let it go."

The older mech resumed petting his bondmate's back between his wings, letting his engine rumble out a comforting note. Everything – Starscream's complete derision so many times against Megatron, the constant scheming, the back-stabbing and poison-glossaed 'compliments' – were suddenly cast in a new light and made so much _sense_ that Ratchet was surprised that he had never seen the indicators of his bonded's sharp intellect at work long before now.

Planning and carrying out his revenge had probably been the only things keeping his beloved from going mad with grief over the loss of their creation.

As if to answer his thoughts, Starscream spoke again: "You know, I haven't even had a chance to mourn yet. All these vorns I've been so focused on destroying everything _they_ worked to build just to myself keep from falling apart."

Ratchet shuttered his own optics and pulled his seeker closer to him. "You don't have to worry about doing it alone anymore, starling. Let go."

There were no more words for a long time after that, the reunited couple finally taking the time to mourn for everything that the Decepticons had stolen from them.

* * *

**End Note:** For those sitting here going _wait just a damned minute, Hoist hasn't been mentioned as part of the medical team in this fic!_ - you're absolutely right. Part of this is because I always, _always_ forget that Hoist is canonically the 'family doctor' of the Autobots. The rest of it is because, in this fic, he's not an _emergency_ medic.

The emergency medical team as put forth in this story consists of Ratchet (duh), First Aid, and Swoop (mostly because I love that particular bit of fanon). The full medical team, however, includes the three aforementioned mechs plus Hoist as the one in charge of seeing to the most basic of the Autobots' needs - software updates, annual maintenance, that sort of thing - as well as assisting in training the apprentice medbots. My fictional reason for him attending to limited medical situations is that he accompanied the _Ark's_ crew at the request of his own bondmate Grapple, never fully intending to be there in a working-capacity.

Unfortunately, that idea was scrapped and he's a part-time 'family practitioner' in order to keep Ratchet from killing the whole crew in their sleep should he be overworked.

And, in light of recent revelations, he's probably going to be acting CMO while Ratchet takes a little personal time off.


End file.
